Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

It’s easy to find new netbooks, but a lot harder to find netbooks worth reviewing. Which makes it all the more special when I do find something interesting. You won’t be wasting your time reading about the  new 10.2″ Archos 10s Mini PC. At only 0.87″ depth, it’s the thinnest 10″ netbook available. Don’t you just love superlatives! :)

The 10s is scheduled to release end of June/July and comes with some great bundled deals.

Features

• Lightweight, ultra thin, ultra portable – Take a look at the specs. The Archos 10s is a mere fraction of an inch ‘thicker’ than the MacBook Air — 0.76″ vs. 0.87″. This netbook was built using super light metals Aluminum and Magnesium. So it’s light and durable.
• Affordable – 380 euros with the 3 cell battery, 400 euros for the 6 cell battery. We’re potentially looking at a similar price tag in dollars – somewhere around $400.  (Compare it to our Top 5 Netbooks by Affordability)
• Great keyboard – the keyboard extends until the very edge of the netbook and looks uber comfy. Reminds me of my old Sony Vaio notebook keyboard, and that’s a huge compliment!
• FREE MS OFFICE FOR A YEAR – !!!!!!! So that’s about…. $100 you’re saving on MS Word, Excel and the package.
• 100 Euros worth of movies — I’m salivating here. Doubtful if this is available in the US — but if you’re in the UK, you’ll have access to 100 euros worth of movies at the Archos online shop. AND the netbook plays HD. Awesome.

Drawbacks

• THE TOUCH PAD BUTTONS – Why do netbook makers think it’s a good idea to situate the buttons vertically on the sides?! HP used to do it, and they quickly changed their design and moved the buttons to the bottom of the touch pad where they belong. Granted, it’s actually easy to get used to…. but there is NO justification for it. This is the only drawback and it sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest of the netbook’s beautiful design.
• No 3G – Not many netbooks come with embedded 3G capabilities…. but they should. Especially in a netbook as thin and portable as this one.
• Kind-of-primitive N270 processor – This isn’t really a drawback since netbooks can work perfectly fine on N270s. I’m just surprised Archos didn’t try to pimp out the 10s Mini PC with the latest specs. On the other hand… it is available for approximately $400…..

Note: apart from the touch pad, this netbook doesn’t have major flaws. The lack of 3G, and the N270 processor are just two specs I’m nit picking at…

Specs

I’ll skip the Ratings bit until the release version of the netbooks comes out in a month and more reviews are available. In the meanwhile, take a look at the specs:

• Processor – Intel Atom N270 (surprising that it doesn’t come with the slightly superior N280)
• Operating System – Windows XP, works with  Windows 7
• Graphics  – Intel 945GSE
• Memory –  1GB (DDR2 400/533)
• Storage –  up to 160GB HDD
• Display –  10.2″ (1024 x 600)
• Connectivity –  802.11 b/g
• External Devices -  3 USB ports, 1 card reader, VGA and HDMI
• Battery  –  3 cell and 6 cell options
• Dimensions –  10.2″ x 7.3″ x 0.87″
• Weight –  2.2 lbs (approx. 2.7lbs with the 6 cell)

The Bottom Line

Unless we discover some serious flaws with the Archos 10s Mini PC, it looks like it will be a strong contender in the netbook marketplace. Measuring less than an inch in thickness, weighing only 2.2 pounds and selling for $400. Sounds like a steal doesn’t it? It is.

Related posts:

1. Archos Netbooks – Archos 10, Archos 10s, and 9″ MiniPC Tablet

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